Although opinions in Australia are not
unanimous, many Australians strongly oppose Singapore's decision not to
commute the death sentence on Mr Nguyen Tuong Van for drug trafficking.

I respect these views, which spring from a
deep sense of human compassion. However, the outcry has also made it
difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Fiction #1: "Singapore has breached
international law"

There is no international agreement to
abolish the death penalty. Capital punishment remains part of the
criminal justice systems of 76 countries, including in the United States
of America where it is practised in 36 states.

We respect Australia's sovereign choice not
to have capital punishment. We hope Australia will likewise respect
Singapore's sovereign choice to impose the death penalty for the most
serious crimes, including drug trafficking. The overwhelming majority of
Singaporeans support this.

Fiction #2: "The death penalty has not
deterred drug trafficking"

This logic is flawed. The death penalty has
not completely eliminated drug trafficking, but it has certainly
deterred drug trafficking. Since the introduction of tough anti-drug
laws in the mid-70's, drug trafficking and drug abuse in Singapore have
come down significantly. Potential traffickers know that, once arrested,
they face the full weight of the law.

Fiction #3: "Mr Van Nguyen is an
unsuspecting victim"

Mr Nguyen may not be a hardened criminal,
but he is not an unsuspecting victim either. He knew what he was doing
and the penalty if caught. Had he succeeded, he would have made a lot of
money.

If we let off a convicted courier because of
age, financial difficulties or distressed family background, it will
only make it easier for drug traffickers to recruit more "mules", with
the assurance that they will escape the death penalty.

Fiction #4: "The punishment does not fit
crime"

Mr Nguyen was caught with 396 grams of pure
heroin, enough for 26,000 "hits", worth a street value of more than
A$1,000,000.

Yes, he was transiting Singapore, and not
smuggling drugs into the country, but Singapore simply cannot afford to
allow itself to become a transit hub for illicit drugs in the region.

Fiction #5: "Mr Van Nguyen can testify
against Mr Bigs"

All drug syndicates assume that some of
their couriers will get caught. They never let the couriers know enough
to incriminate themselves. The information that Mr Nguyen provided to
the Singapore authorities was of limited value, and was in fact intended
to mislead and delay the investigation.

Fiction #6: "Singapore connives with drug
lords"

This is an old falsehood propagated by Dr
Chee Soon Juan. He has alleged that the Singapore Government had
invested in projects in Myanmar that supported the drug trade.

When this first surfaced in 1996, the
Singapore Government explained its investment in the Myanmar Fund was
completely open and above board.

The Fund held straightforward commercial
investments in hotels and companies. Other investors in the Fund
included Coutts & Co, an old British bank, and the Swiss Bank
Corporation. The Singapore Government offered to set up a Commission of
Inquiry so that Dr Chee could produce evidence to prove his wild
allegations. Unfortunately, Dr Chee never took up the offer.

Fiction #7: "Singapore has treated
Australia with contempt"

Singapore highly values good relations with
Australia and with Australian leaders. We share a common belief in the
sanctity of the law.

The Singapore Cabinet deliberated at length
Mr Nguyen's clemency petition. It considered all relevant factors,
including Mr Nguyen's personal circumstances, and the many public and
private appeals from Australian leaders.

Unfortunately, finally the Cabinet decided
that it could not justify making an exception for Mr Nguyen. It had to
treat Mr Nguyen consistently with similar past cases, and apply the law
equally to Singaporeans and foreigners.

Singapore's leaders have taken pains to
explain our decision to Australian leaders, both in writing and in
person. Singapore's Foreign Minister had also informed FM Downer
confidentially in advance of when the family would be notified of the
execution date, and explained to Mr Downer that that the family should
be the first to learn of the execution date.

So when the Singapore Prime Minister met PM
John Howard in Busan, he could not inform PM Howard of the execution
date either. PM Lee did not know that the letter of notification had by
mistake already been delivered to Mrs Nguyen, one day early. Once Mr Lee
discovered what had happened, he promptly apologised to Mr Howard.

In Conclusion

Australians who oppose the death sentence on
Mr Nguyen will not agree with everything I have said. But I hope they
will accept that the Singapore government has a responsibility to
protect the many lives that would otherwise be blighted and destroyed by
the drug syndicates, and to prevent Singapore from becoming a conduit
for illicit drugs in the region.

We are all touched by the pain and anguish
of Mr Nguyen's mother, but if we waver in our firm position against drug
trafficking, many more families will be shattered.

Joseph K H Koh
Singapore High Commissioner in Australia

More.....(Singapore High Commissioner
in Canberra's Letters to Major Australian Dailies)

Nguyen Tuong Van was charged for importation
of 396.2 grams of diamorphine or pure heroin into Singapore, under
Section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act (Chapter 185), which carries the
death penalty. Mr Nguyen was convicted as charged and sentenced to
death. The Misuse of Drugs Act provides that the death penalty is
mandatory if the amount of diamorphine or pure heroin imported exceeds
15g. Mr Nguyen unlawfully brought into Singapore almost 400 grams of
diamorphine, enough to supply 26,000 doses of heroin to drug addicts.
The street value of the heroin was worth an estimated S$1.3m. Mr Nguyen
failed in his appeals to the Court of Appeal and to the President for
clemency. The sentence was carried out this morning at Changi Prison.

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